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Australia's ability to meet its commitment to reduce greenhouse gases under the Kyoto convention will probably require at least some government intervention. Traditionally, approaches to reducing pollution in Australia have tended to focus on the adoption of emission standards. Theoretical criticism by environmental economists has, in part, resulted in a movement toward the adoption of market based mechanisms for pollution abatement; and flirtations with carbon taxes and tradeable permits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Each instrument is subject to significant weaknesses. Tradeable permits are administratively complex for both polluter and administrator and can lead to production bottlenecks where polluters cannot find requisite permits. A carbon tax is simpler to administer and offers much more flexibility, but can have regressive and inequitable economic impacts. Of these approaches, tradeable permits offer greater potential for achieving set emissions reductions, but tend to be restricted in application to large emitters such as industry. It is argued here that to be truly cost effective, incentives to reduce emissions need to be targeted as close as possible to the point of fuel consumption-and hence greenhouse emission: by both industry and the household consumer. This paper explores the benefits and limitations of adopting a mixed incentive scheme applied to the energy consumer to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed consumer carbon reduction incentive (CBCRI) incorporates elements of tradeable permits, carbon taxes and emission reduction subsidies.

This paper examines the cost of reducing carbon emissions in New England's power sector. The analysis relies on detailed sectoral studies of costs and resource potentials for demand‐side efficiency, cogeneration, renewables, and conventional resource options. Sectoral studies' results were integrated using a production‐cost model to estimate the total cost and rate impacts of carbon reduction strategies relative to a business‐as‐usual forecast. To capture potential uncertainties, the analysis takes into account variations in capital costs, fuel prices, resource utilization levels, and base case retirements of existing power plants. Results show that New England's power sector can freeze carbon emissions at current levels or reduce carbon emissions while simultaneously decreasing customers' total electricity bills.

This document provides information on where the country stands in the global context with respect to carbon emissions. It details the obligations that the country has to reduce its carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol and outlines some of the strategic steps that will be taken to accomplish this objective.

Energy managers at many National Health Service (NHS) hospitals are now under intense pressure to radically investigate and develop energy and carbon reduction strategies. Factors contributing to this pressure include new Government and NHS carbon reduction targets, reduced energy budgets, increase of energy demand and energy cost. The increase in energy demand in many NHS hospitals is also influenced by the age of the infrastructure, rapid demand and expansion along with increased use of energy intensive medical kits in certain specialist hospitals. This paper presents a detailed analysis of energy data spanning 6 years for The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. The analysis, together with a survey of existing systems forms the basis for profiling the hospital historical energy consumption trend and to determine the average "Business As Usual" growth rate for energy, and the resultant costs. Further investigation of short and long term energy saving measures was undertaken based on the analysis of the effects of previously implemented measures and the hospital energy profiles. New energy savings measures have also been identified using financial and carbon emission savings studies.